India is Unilever’s strongest long-term growth engine: Fernando Fernandez

Unilever CEO Fernando Fernandez has spoken of a sharper, execution-focused reset for the FMCG major in one of his recent conversations with JP Morgan’s Celine Pannuti, Head of the European Staples & Beverages Team.

Fernandez said the recent separation of Unilever’s ice cream business marks a structural turning point, enabling a more streamlined organisation and clearer strategic priorities. He reiterated that Unilever’s new operating design — built around four business group presidents and 44 standalone P&L units — is meant to eliminate ambiguity and accelerate decision-making.

Fernandez also spotlighted the importance of the India business, underscoring it as one of Unilever’s strongest long-term growth engines. He offered a clear vote of confidence in Priya Nair, the CEO & MD of Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) and a member of the Unilever Leadership Executive.

Nair, the first woman to lead HUL in its nearly century-long history, has been entrusted with anchoring Unilever’s growth agenda in one of its most strategic markets. Fernandez said he has “full trust” in her leadership, noting that India’s scale, demographic strength and rising consumption curve position it as a critical pillar of Unilever’s global plans.

Under Nair’s stewardship, India is expected to deepen premiumisation, accelerate digital commerce, and continue strengthening market leadership across core categories — areas closely aligned with Fernandez’s global reset.

Fernandez has ruled out large transformational deals for now, favouring bolt-on acquisitions — especially digital-native brands — that can scale rapidly within Unilever’s core categories. The US remains a priority market alongside India.

Across the conversation, Fernandez positioned Unilever as a company undergoing cultural rewiring — one that values accountability, product excellence and consistent execution above all.